The Institute for the International Education of Students, IES Abroad, is a non-profit study abroad provider that surveyed program participants who studied abroad from 1950-1999. Over 3,400 respondents shared how studying abroad impacted their lives during and since their experiences.

Studying Abroad Made Me A Better Person
• 97% said studying abroad served as a catalyst for increased maturity.
• 96% said studying abroad increased self-confidence.
• 95% said studying abroad has had a lasting impact on their worldview.
• 89% said studying abroad enabled them to tolerate ambiguity.
• 73% said studying abroad continues to influence decisions about family life.

Studying Abroad Made Me A Better Leader

• 98% said studying abroad helped them to better understand their own cultural biases and values.
• 94% said studying abroad continues to influence interactions with people from different cultures.
• 64% said studying abroad has influenced them to explore other cultures.

Studying Abroad Made Me A Better Student
• 87% said studying abroad influenced subsequent educational experiences.
• 64% said studying abroad influenced a decision to attend graduate school.
• 63% said studying abroad influenced a decision to expand or change academic majors.

Studying Abroad Made Me A Better Communicator
• 42% now use a language other than English on a regular basis.

Sources: “The Benefits of Study Abroad” by Dr. Mary M. Dyer and Courtney K. Peters on iesabroad.org and “Study Abroad Participation by State” by NAFSA: Association of International Educators at nafsa.org.

Terri Wright, Treasurer
French Teacher
Millard South High School, Metropolitan Community College
tlwright@mpsomaha.org

How would you describe your classroom?
I am eclectic in the classroom. I believe that a variety of methods help me to connect with all of my students and ultimately create a more well-rounded student. The three guiding principles of relationships, relevance, and rigor are the foundation on which I build each class.
How do you feel that NILA has helped you develop as an educator?
NILA and NAATF (Nebraska Association of Teachers of French) have provided important opportunities to network and grow. With a lot of help from area French teachers, family, and my students, I planned and hosted the biannual State French Convention in 2016 and 2018. I was honored to be chosen as the NILA World Language Educator of the Year in 2017. This allowed me to represent Nebraska at the Central States Conference for World Language Teachers in 2017. I love to share ideas with colleagues at the local, regional and national levels.
What about you would probably surprise others?
I have recently taken up acting at murder mystery dinners on the weekends.

The following positions were posted in April 2019 on the Teach in Nebraska website at www.nebraskaeducationjobs.ne.gov

French 9-12, Papillion La Vista South High School, Papillion
Spanish 9-12, Part Time, Lincoln Lutheran High School, Lincoln
Spanish 9-12, Lourdes Central Catholic School, Nebraska City
Spanish 9-12, Schuyler Community Schools, Schuyler
French 9-12, Mt. Michael Benedictine School, Elkhorn
French 9-12 Part Time, Lincoln Pius X Catholic High School, Lincoln
Spanish 7-12, Gothenburg Public Schools, Gothenburg
Spanish 7-12, Morrill Public Schools, Morrill
Spanish 7-12, Maxwell Public Schools, Maxwell
Spanish 6-12, Long Term Substitute, Grand Island Central Catholic, Grand Island
Spanish 1-12, Lindsay Holy Family, Lindsay
Spanish K-12, St. Francis of Assisi School, Humphrey

Linda Gjere
Millard North Middle School
Millard Public Schools
11 years teaching
8 years as a substitute

Sherry Runnels
St. Francis School
5 years of service at St. Francis
Over 30 years in education

Vicki Huskey
Conestoga Jr-Sr High School
Conestoga Public Schools
13 years in the Conestoga District
34 years in education

Shirley Rytych
Shickley Public Schools
46 years in education

Diana Harris
Lourdes Central Catholic Schools
Diocese of Lincoln
45 years at Lourdes Central
49 years in education

These names were submitted by administrators. If you would like to honor a 2018-2019 retiree, there will be one more opportunity in our June/July edition. Please send the teacher’s name, school, district, and years of service to stephanie.call@nebraska.gov

Call for Proposals: Nationals Association for Bilingual Education 49th Annual Conference

NABE invites all education experts, researchers, authors and successful practitioners with information of interest to submit a proposal. They also encourage multilingual proposals.
View the full call for proposals at http://www.nabe-conference.com/proposals.html
Submit proposals by June 30, 2019

49th Annual NABE Conference
Pre-Conference: February 25, 2020
Conference: February 26-28, 2020
Las Vegas, Nevada

NABE is seeking proposals that engage participants in topics related to quality education for DLLs such as:
• achieving educational equity for DLLs
• ensuring social justice for DLLs through strong linguistic and academic attainment
• providing equal educational opportunities for DLLs

CASLS’ Nationwide Faculty Learning Community for the Development of Reflective Practices

The Center for Applied Second Language Studies (CASLS) sponsors a nation-wide faculty learning community focused both on supporting practitioners’ engagement in reflective professional practices and on providing resources for practitioners to engage their students in reflective learning. Nominate yourself and/or someone you know for participation in this community by filling out this form by June 1. Participants will engage in a series of five one-hour webinars from July 8-July 12 designed to promote introspection and to share information and resources related to national initiatives (like LinguaFolio) designed with reflection in mind.
Form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdscBPOPbofXi18Md67dQFqTU6Z46zOhYudJgDtbqlt6xd20g/viewform

Santillana Spanish Works! Sampler
In honor of World Language Week to make students realize language will help their career and civic life, Jimmy Moorhead, Santillana and Vista Publishing, would like to share this digital sample of the Spanish Works career readiness series (Levels 1-4 High School Spanish). This series strongly addresses the need to highlight language in its primary place in international commerce.
http://promos.santillanausa.com/ES_SpanishWorks_SAMPLER/

Open Language Resource Center at the University of Kansas
Online and printable activities in Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian, French, German, Haitian Creole, Persian, Portuguese, Quichua, Russian, Slovene, Somali, Spanish, and Uyghur.
https://olrc.ku.edu/about

French Embassy Launches Podcast “The Thing About France”
American cultural figures talk about the complex relationship between France and the U.S. The first episodes are out and more are on the way.

Francophone Film and Literature Course French 4950/8956 at University of Nebraska Omaha
In fall 2019, UNO will offer Francophone Film and Literature Tuesdays from 4:30-7:10 with Dr. Patrice Proulx. Some of the films to be discussed include Incendies, Persepolis, L’Ange du Goudron, and Black Girl. The course focuses on a selection of contemporary films and short readings dealing with the Caribbean, Africa, North Africa, and Quebec. One of the primary objectives is the development of critical viewing and reading skills that will allow students to reflect more productively on the social and aesthetic themes in these works. Critical issues to consider are immigration, the construction of identity, the effects of colonialism on different societies, and the geo-political and cultural contexts of the films and the literary works. For more information, contact Dr. Patrice Proulx at 402-554-4839 or pproulx@unomaha.edu.

CARLA Summer Institute Spotlight: Culture as the Core in the Second Language Classroom
Culture as the Core in the Second Language Classroom
July 29–August 2, 2019
University of Minnesota (Minneapolis)
While cultivating deeper understanding on how language-culture-identity informs our teaching, participants will learn ways to integrate culture and language learning that include authentic materials and a new way of looking at culture. Through constructive conversation, hands-on practice, and reflection participants will learn how to:
• Bring everyday culture into language instruction and apply common frameworks of culture and culture learning;
• Create integrated language-and-culture learning objectives and lessons;
• Assess culture learning;
• Use authentic materials for teaching culture and textbooks for culture learning and unlearning.
Find out more about Culture as the Core in the Second Language Classroom:
https://carla.umn.edu/institutes/2019/culture.html

Will West, Communications and Program Chair
French Teacher
Lincoln Public Schools
wwest@lps.org

What was your motivation to become a language teacher?
My high school French teacher, Toni Theisen, motivated me to become a French teacher. Her class was a place where everybody belonged…’honor yourself’ was a mantra that we heard over and over. I believed that being a teacher, like Toni, would be the best way to honor her.
In five words or less, describe your classroom approach.
Give learning power to students
What power do you find in speaking another language?
As a teacher of world language and culture, and a speaker of several world languages, I find power in the ability to communication with other people. I find power in seeing other cultures as part of who I am – not just being an American from a square state, but a citizen of the international community. When I think of the opportunities that I’ve had because I’m not mono-lingual, I cannot even imagine where I would be right now with them! But, my favorite part is the ability to relocate. I don’t say “travel” or “visit”, because when you speak another language, and you understand and participate in the culture, you don’t visit, you live!

Daniel Kritenbrink is a Nebraska native and a graduate of the University of Nebraska-Kearney. While a student at UNK, he participated in a short study tour to the Soviet Union. He spent the following full academic year at Kansai Gaidai University in Japan. Study abroad is the capstone opportunity for demonstrating global understanding. Today, he is The United States Ambassador at the U.S. Embassy and Consulate in Vietnam.

Krittenbrink credits his travel abroad experience for developing more than his language skills. He cites the development of insights into Asian cultures, networking, collaboration, and problem-solving. UNK Professor of History Dr. Doug Biggs agrees, “International travel is the best education possible. For the first time in students’ lives, they are the minority. International travel teaches our students to become much more self-reliant and self-confident. These experiences greatly expand their world view and greatly change who they are as people.” Dr. Biggs led the Nebraska Semester Abroad program to the Czech Republic in spring 2018 and will take another group in fall 2019.

All University of Nebraska campuses offer opportunities to travel and study abroad. Information about programming is found at the Education Abroad Office at each campus. Travel programs may be as short as ten days or as long as an academic year. Proficiency in another language may or may not be a requirement. Study programs include a wide array of topic areas, from the sciences to the humanities.

Regardless of the topic of study, the length of program, or the location abroad, students report similar successes. Calvin Vong, a student at UNO, says, “Studying abroad offered me the opportunity to grow as a person and to see the world in a different perspective. I learned to embrace change, learn more about myself and recognize that there is more to life than I previously thought. Being exposed to so many cultures abroad helped me gain a better understanding of how people in other countries think and act. After studying abroad, I feel refreshed and more determined than ever to achieve my goals.”

(credit: “Engaging the World: 2019 Global Engagement report” from the University of Nebraska Office of Global Engagement.  View the full report here. )

1. Local Travelers
When preparing for a trip to the Dominican Republic, I required all of my Level I students to write introductory postcards on large index cards. I took their pictures and pasted them on the postcards. When I arrived in the Dominican for a mission trip, I worked with the local organization to plan a “Postcard Day” for the neighborhood organization. Neighborhood kids each took a card and wrote a response. Upon my return, I had the responses and a description of the community. Our school then sent back a gift of school supplies for the neighborhood organization.

2. Connection Services
Organizations like Reach the World and Skype in the Classroom pair you up with travelers or classrooms in other countries allowing you to question and discuss cultural understanding.

3. Book Clubs
Help your local and school library to provide literature that has a global connection. Plan activities that engage learners such as sampling food described in the text or using Google Earth to see the locations in the text.

4. Listen Up
Listen to music and news from other countries. One of my favorite global connections is Playing for Change. PFC unites musicians from around the world in phenomenal performances in multiple languages. PFC also provides documentary videos about the creation of the music. The documentary collections directly addresses global impact and understanding.

5. Take a Trip
Travel with students can be an intimidating proposition. Plan well. When possible, work with other schools from your region. Consider using a service like EF Tours or Explorica if you have never led a trip before. Remember that even with tours, you can actively seek opportunities to use the language. Make your expectations clear to both parents and students. Most importantly, have the students keep logs and report back in real time through social media or a website. When they return, encourage the students to be your ‘experts’ and to speak about the experience.

Lincoln Council for International Visitors
Promotes global understanding through citizen diplomacy in Lincoln.

Nebraska Fulbright Alumni Association
Advocates fro the Fulbright Program and promotes international education.

Nebraska Youth Institute at University of Nebraska
Engages high school students with local leaders and experts on critical global challenges.

George Mason University defines global understanding as the ability to see the world from multiple perspectives, reflect upon our positions in a global society, and to be prepared for future engagement as global citizens. Kent University adds that global understanding includes intergroup relations, intercultural communications, conflict mitigation, and global development and sustainability. Both the U.S. Department of Defense and the PeaceCorps promote the importance of intercultural communication as a way of building relationships. In this issue, we’ll explore why global understanding is both an integral element and a goal of world language education.

The following positions are posted on the Teach in Nebraska website at www.nebraskaeducationjobs.ne.gov

French 9-12 (Part-time), Lincoln Pius X Catholic High School, Lincoln
French 9-12, Duchesne Academy, Omaha
German 7-8, Westside Community Schools, Omaha
Spanish 1-12, Lindsay Holy Family, Lindsay
Spanish 7-12, Ansley Public Schools, Ansley
Spanish 7-12, High Plains Community Schools, Polk
Spanish 7-12, Maxwell Public Schools, Maxwell
Spanish 7-12, Morrill Public Schools, Morrill
Spanish 7-12, St. Mary’s Catholic School, O’Neill
Spanish 9-12, Arthur County Schools, Arthur
Spanish 9-12, Falls City Public Schools, Falls City
Spanish 9-12, Fillmore Central Public Schools, Geneva
Spanish 9-12, Grand Island Public Schools, Grand Island
Spanish 9-12, Lourdes Central Catholic School, Nebraska City
Spanish 9-12, Wilber-Clatonia Schools, Wilber
Spanish Distance Education, ESU 5, Beatrice
Spanish K-8, St. Thomas More School, Omaha
World Language K-12, Cedar Bluffs Public School, Cedar Bluffs

Francophone Film and Literature Course French 4950/8956 at University of Nebraska Omaha

In fall 2019, UNO will offer Francophone Film and Literature Tuesdays from 4:30-7:10 with Dr. Patrice Proulx. Some of the films to be discussed include Incendies, Persepolis, L’Ange du Goudron, and Black Girl. The course focuses on a selection of contemporary films and short readings dealing with the Caribbean, Africa, North Africa, and Quebec. One of the primary objectives is the development of critical viewing and reading skills that will allow students to reflect more productively on the social and aesthetic themes in these works. Critical issues to consider are immigration, the construction of identity, the effects of colonialism on different societies, and the geo-political and cultural contexts of the films and the literary works. For more information, contact Dr. Patrice Proulx at 402-554-4839 or pproulx@unomaha.edu.